A friend is always a friend, no matter the distance

Today I saw two of my friends that were not from TTT. Friendship is defined as the mutual attraction between two individuals. I am very lucky that I have very supportive friends with me.

Shanna is someone that I met last time I visited Taiwan back in 2010. I participated as mentioned before in the OCAC Loveboat Camp. This is regulated by the Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commissions.

Official Program Objective: "To provide an educational program for expatriate youth that improves their competency in spoken and written Chinese language, enhances their knowledge of Chinese and Taiwanese cultures, and deepens their understanding of the establishment and development of Taiwan, the Republic of China."

This program is one of the longest running and historically best known programs for overseas Chinese/Taiwanese youths. I met Shanna during this time and its been over 5-6 years since we saw each other last. I loved reconnecting with her because it wasn’t awkward or forced. It flowed. She was only in Taiwan for a couple of days so I am very happy that I was able to see her. All the memories of OCAC came back to us. We talked about her boyfriend, her school and our career passions. I am super proud of where we have all ended up and she is going to be doing great things. I remember she was very down to earth and always making me laugh- and she didn’t change!

At night, we went out to a club and I met up with Alice! This is actually a friend from Western University from my Taiwanese at Western Club. When she applied to be an executive, I was the VP Events at the time. I was not there for her interview but I was told she had said “I want to chill with my Taiwanese homies”. I knew she had to be on the team. Alice is hilarious, fun going and always working hard to achieve her dreams. She studies very hard and she was born in Taiwan. She lived in Alberta (where I find a lot of Taiwanese people do). She wasn’t allowed to participate in TTT because she had schooling done in Taiwan and this internship was for those overseas. However; she found her own lab work and met other TTT interns at her lab. She is on the TAW team again as the new VP Events and I have high hopes that she will become President one day. She has a lot of passion for the Taiwanese Culture and a lot of knowledge which I know she will do amazing at to share with the students at Western University.

This shows you that your friends are with you wherever you go. Being here is hard because I missed out on birthdays, regattas, competitions and just group outings. The best thing you can do is stay in touch and know when your friends need you. I love sending postcards because I think it shows that you are thinking of them, no matter where you are.